Cook's Illustrated Meat Book: The Game-Changing Guide That Teaches You How to Cook Meat and Poultry with 425 Bulletproof Recipes

This book is fantastic. For starters, the recipes are delicious. At least the few I've made so far have been. I'm not particularly skilled at food preparation and I have a limited range of kitchen appliances at my disposal but I am a competent cook. That is to say I am capable of following directions and can perform all the usual kitchen operations without catching fire or cutting off my fingers. This book caters to people like me in that it breaks the recipes down into simple, easy to follow instructions and doesn't require a multitude of highly specialized gear.I am in no way implying that the recipes are too simple or basic for the avid cooks out there. The book is bound to teach you a few new tricks or at the very least, inspire you to think more creatively with your cooking. The writers have taken a thoughtful approach to classic recipes and broke them down to really analyze what makes them work and how they can be improved. Often times they employ seemingly odd combinations that yield delicious results There was a lettuce wrap that pairs ground pork with fish sauce, lime juice and mint. It was absolutely amazing. Then there was the chicken tikka masala. I am not very familiar with indian cuisine but the smell and flavor of this dish was something I can't describe. The spice combination created such a captivating, exotic aroma. It tasted like something id get at a nice restaurant.I've been on a bit of a cooking kick lately. More like a quest to expand my skills that has really lead to a lot of fun experiments and a fair number of cook book purchases. At one point I found myself torn between buying this or The Complete Meat Cookbook by Bruce Aidells. Unable to decide, I bought them both but I can definitively say I prefer Cook's Illustrated hands down. The reason being the quality of the book itself. It is hard covered and uses glossy pages with some nice color photos here and there. Very kitchen friendly. Just prop it open on the countertop along side the ingredients. It is also very intuitively laid out. Every recipe is grouped into sections based on the meat that composes it. It is easy to tell which recipes require the grill and it walks you through each individual element of the dish. What the thought process was. What they changed. Why they use one cut of meat over another. Before you even begin the actual cooking process, you will know why the dish is going to be great.

I've made 4 recipes from this book and the meat has come out amazing. The information and directions are spot on. The reason I gave 3 stars is the binding completely separated upon opening. Have attempted to glue back together but hasn't adhered.

A Cook’s cookbook never disappoints!!! Absolutely FANTASTIC. Reviews products and brand choices, amazing directions, gives variations, truly a breadth of information, which can be exceptionally helpful to a novice, but further than that, because this book is specifically on meats, it teaches us everything our grandparents could have taught us and more. Cookbooks today just don’t explain cuts of meat, but this one does. Most younger people wouldn’t understand when and how to use different cuts, and it can even be a mystery in some cases to those of us not as young. Because this book is packed with such a large amount of informative tips, guidance and recipes, it has less room for photos, so you will not see a pic of every recipe. The completeness of this book however, is worth the lower amount of recipe images. I HIGHLY recommend this book, and have given it to my 20 yr old who now loves to cook. Since young adults don’t always like to listen to our ‘wealth of information’ to learn from after the age of 13, these series of books more than make up for many tips I myself would hope to show/teach my own ‘kids’. Definitely a great buy for someone who wants/needs to learn, and for someone out on their own for the first time. FANTASTIC BOOK.

I bought this book for myself/household a few weeks ago, with a book discount, and can only say it is an awesome book . I bought this one ( second order), when it was a lightning deal because I was so impressed; thought it would be a great gift. ~If you want to get into the nitty gritty of the how, what, when of meats (of all kinds, no lie), this is a great book. How do I know? Because I have been butchering some of my own meats for a while now.~OKAY it does not tell you how to butcher, but it does allow one to understand the cuts of meat, the how n why, and what to do with said cuts of meat..~Some awesome recipes! No, I have not tried all of them. I only bought the first book a month ago. I do however know,and enjoy Cook's Illustrated in general. Heck, even if I didn't know them, I would so love this book, it has so MUCH information! (stg)~This is just a really nice, classy book with GREAT details, in mpov. (Seriously, if you are one to "prepare/store/more knowledge", I would call it a great educational book, with lots of recipes too boost that concept.. (not the storing portion, just the education)~Funny thing is, I still have the second copy, unopened, (this one) as I couldn't decide who might appreciate it as much as I do.. Oh well, I will work on that..~ A home run for sure in mpov.. So worth the $$

The book arrived in a condition that was better than advertised.

I barely write reviews as I don’t have much time on my hands and I typically find most purchases to be average. However, I bought this book to up my game and trust me, it was worth every penny. I already have all of my coworkers buying it. My main focus was Page 45: NY Strip Steak! You want to cook a steak like a fancy steak house this book will have you sailing. Just did my first attempt and I can honestly tell you that I don’t ever need to go to a steak house again. They even added recipes for sauces etc to compliment the meat. Easy directions with very in depth explanations of meat and how the cooking process affects them during each technique. Even goes down to recommendations for brands of cooking materials and utensils ie cast iron skillets, wire racks and whatever else the meal calls for. I figured my first attempt would be a little off but let me tell you... it was perfect on the first go. If you follow their instructions, you’ll be the king or queen of your house or any party. Looking forward to my next meal. #legit

This book is fantastic. Goes into great detail not only what to do, but why to do it. The only downside I found is that many of the recipes need a good run up. Either salting, brining or other, so not ideal for just throwing something on. Plan (24hrs) ahead and you have amazing results.

This book is absolutely AMAZING! Totally worth the money. If you ever wonder how to perfectly cook a thick-cut steak without overcooking it, this book has the answer. You'll find the original reverse-seared steak cooking method and much more. Love the illustrations and the hard work the creators put into it. Well done!

Fantastic book for those who want to get into the nitty gritty science behind cooking meat. It may be a bit text bookish at first but once you've mastered the techniques in this book you will be producing perfection EVERYTIME! Every serious cook, foodie should have this. It'll be their secret weapon!

Really informative book about all meats. A textbook more than a cookery book,But the recipes are very good too. I would recommend this book to anyone interested inMeat cookery.

very good book a large number of different meals